There was quite a buzz a few weeks ago on the construction site that will soon house the Arts Centre expansion. That鈥檚 because workers taking down houses on Seymour Street discovered a beehive the size of a washing machine behind a ceiling.
鈥淲e find hornets and wasps quite often, but never honey bees, and certainly never this many in a hive this size,鈥� says Ashley Strong-Deveau, project manager and estimator for Asbestos Abatement, the contractor in charge of demolition. 鈥淭he guys were a little freaked out because they were afraid they鈥檇 get stung, so they took a quick look, closed the ceiling back up and called me.鈥�
The demolitions are making way for a three-storey addition to the Arts Centre. As in all such demolitions on Dal property, there is an extensive amount of work that must be done before the houses are reduced to rubble.
As much as possible, materials are separated and recycled, such as metals and concrete. Any hazardous materials are properly disposed of and that involves carefully removing walls, flooring and other interior items. The work is usually routine 鈥� but not this time.
鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for ten years, and some of the guys a lot longer. And no one has ever come across anything like this. So all of a sudden I had to find a home for all these honeybees.鈥�
There has been concern recently that certain species of honeybees are in danger due to pesticides, mites and loss of habitation. Luckily, Ashley鈥檚 brother-in-law is a beekeeper in the valley, and was able to absorb the colony. Over several hours he carefully removed the hive piece by piece, and boxed it up for the journey to its new home.
Work resumed within a few days, and those on the job now have a honey of a story to tell.